Abbotts Rule
by MissDevon
Summary: AU version of Adam having to face justice for Delia's death and it's affect on Chelsea and the Abbotts.


**Abbotts Rule**

Closing the door on my daughter's bedroom I exhale and smile.  
Baby monitor in hand I make my way down the hall and listen as my husband's voice drifts back to me on the evening breeze. As I continue towards the stairs I come to an abrupt stop as I recognize the voice and timber of the man he's talking to- his former business partner and my ex-husband.  
The father of my son…

Shakily, I stop in the hallway and lean against the wall.  
I knew that this was coming.  
I had, after all, been following the news stories of the "Trial of the Moment." Or was that retrial?  
It seems in some ways like only yesterday that Adam was arrested and stood trail for the vehicular homicide of Delia Abbott- the daughter of my best friend, step-daughter of Adam's not so loving half-sister, and niece of my current husband.

G-d I hated that time in my life!  
Here I was with a little boy who lit up my life and newly married. It should've been the happiest time of my life, but of course nothing ever went well for Adam and I and our happiness always had to come at the expense of others.  
Chloe, my now very former best friend, was the loudest voice in my ear. She told me flat out that if I didn't get a divorce- or rather have my marriage to Adam annulled- she would not only make my life a living hell, but also make sure I lost Connor.  
Yep, the woman who had buried her only child only months before was threatening to make sure that I lost my child as well.  
Adam and I discussed it, and since he didn't want me to lose Connor, we came to an agreement. He signed the papers.  
Then, all hell broke loose!  
Victor Newman decided that he- the man who had disowned his son on more than one occasion; had never been a part of his namesake's life; who had blackmailed his son into towing his line- should have custody of Connor. Oh, and he threw the fact that I had allowed his ever precious Princess Victoria to adopt my child, Johnny, made me an unfit mother.  
(yeah, Victor, let's forget the fact that I gave your daughter, the one who the court ruled unfit and who couldn't adopt because she and her husband adopted a child illegally and call me UNFIT!) Yeah- saying that to the mustache didn't go over well! But for some reason, Jack was there for me.  
Jack Abbot.  
Victor's sworn enemy and the man that one day Adam admitted to me he had wished had been his father was a rock for me.  
Chloe didn't care about anything unless she was manipulating time with Connor.  
Didn't care if I lost him even if it was due to her unhealthy fascination with him.  
Dylan, was surprisingly, a friend at the time- but his relationship with Avery and the fact that Nikki Newman was his mother didn't help.

Help actually came in another surprising form.  
Summer.

When Summer got caught up in the cult that Vikki had once been a member in, Shannon thought it would be a great time to admit that she had switched the paternity test results- oh, and BTW, she also accidentally (sort of on purpose?) was the reason Phyllis was in a coma.  
Well, Nick- dear, sweet, idiotic Nick- believed his ex and forgave her because "she was off her meds" (insert eye roll here) But not Jack- no, he insisted on another set of paternity tests being done- and wouldn't you know it, after a twist that no one saw coming, Summer was Jack's!  
(Yep, seems that Sharon wasn't the only won who had doctored paternity tests. Wanna guess who had had them fixed in the first place- of course to his son's benefit?)

Well, by then, we were engaged- bolstering my custody case, we said; and we even convinced ourselves.  
He was still in love with Phyllis and I… well Adam held my heart; but somehow- yeah, we became so much more.  
I was there when Summer disowned the Newmans once and for all, even Noah and Faith, because she couldn't take the hypocrisy that they embodied.  
I was there when the decision was made to take Phyllis off of life support….

And, Jack, he was there when Billy went off the wagon and got into gambling debts up to his eyeballs and Vikki paid no attention to Johnny because she had to be daddy's princess and ride to brother Nick's rescue, and sit by mommy's bedside. So when Johnny was so sick he ended up in the hospital and on death's door, we applied for custody- we even won.  
My baby boy spent the last few weeks of his life- weeks that should've and could've been years-with me, his baby brother, and big step-sister. He died in my arms, as I lay in my husband's.  
We buried him on the day that Billy and Vikki were appealing the ruling- insult to injury; the judge gave them back custody because we didn't show up.  
(I remember asking them- screaming at them when they came to the house- "how do you take custody of a dead child?" They wanted the body- to bury it properly. Needless to say they were kicked out and although they got a coffin weighed down- as the song said that's one body that'll never be found.)

Needless to say that was not a good time in our lives or our marriage.

But, family, they helped us make it through.  
Well, Traci, Summer, Abby, and (surprisingly) my Mom did anyway.  
Hell, even Jack's sons Kyle and Kemo had our backs.  
It was Ashley who tried to ruin us, with Billy's help.  
But, as Jack once said, in many ways Ashley was more Newman than she had ever been Abbott, so I don't think he was that surprised (and I get the feeling there was more to that comment than I knew).

A year flew by.  
Then two… then I was pregnant.  
I don't know who was more excited.  
Jack was thrilled to have a daughter- one he could spoil from the start- and, I took one look at her, and the name we had chosen- one I don't even remember at this point- flew straight out of my head and she became Jacqueline Colleen.

Then, a few weeks later, the rumors started to fly.  
The ones that Adam hadn't been the one to kill D.  
That the man who had given the information to point the cops in his direction had lied.  
Turns out, it wasn't rumors.  
Victor had paid him to when he caught wind that Adam was on the suspect list.

Adam had told the truth!  
He hadn't seen D.  
Hadn't known he hit her.  
He swerved to miss a dog in the road.  
Nikki had hit her and left without even slowing down!  
Victor had paid off people in the police department to cover it up- and never knew the whole story- in other words, he paid people to hid evidence that his wife (who wasn't supposed to be driving due to the medication she was taking to control flare-ups of her MS) had killed a little girl and told them to not tell him one way or another if they disposed of the evidence or not.  
Seems the guy on payroll realized that Adam would be a suspect so he pulled D's scarf from Nikki's car and planted it on Adam's (because a piece of fabric that size would make no sound hitting the wheel bed!)  
Well, you can guess that people couldn't believe that she would do such an awful thing (ummm really?) and clearly it was a side effect of her medication and her condition.  
So, what was her repayment to society for her part in this?  
Not the jail sentence and loss of good name and future that Adam suffered. No, Nikki, who no longer drove, lost her drivers license and paid a fine.  
Not even community service for her!  
And Victor- well, the witness's credibility was shot, so no charges.  
And still Adam sat behind bars for something he didn't do as Victor greased every wheel with chunky peanut butter to keep his son in jail.

We knew it was only a matter of time before he was released.  
Knew he'd come here.  
He thinks of Jack as family (and vice versa I've come to realize).  
And Connor's here.

But Connor thinks of Jack as his father and we haven't decided how to proceed with the whole Adam reenters his life thing.  
I know, he wants and needs to be a part of his son's life.  
Adam might carry his father's name, but that is all he'll ever have to do with him.

Rounding my shoulders, I pull away from the wall and start towards the stairs.

That's when I hear it.  
Connor's voice.  
Connor calling out "Daddy" as he launches himself at Jack, who deftly catches him, as Summer drops his overnight bag to the floor and laughs.  
And I am frozen on the steps as I look on.

Jack bends down and kneels next to Connor: "Do you know who that is, Buddy?"

Connor nods: "Yeah. My other dad," he answers with childlike wonder as he walks over and hugs Adam- or at least his leg since Connor is only up to his hip.

"Hey, Peanut," Adam replies as he wraps an arm around his shoulders.

I bite back a sob as I take in the three men in my life and continue down the stairs and take Jack's outstretched hand and lean into his side. "Hey, Chelsea," my ex acknowledges as Summer slips out to go out with her cousin and brothers.

"Adam," I smile, noticing that his eyes have barely left our son, who is babbling about his visit with his Aunt Traci in NY. "Connor, why don't we and your Dads go talk in the living room."

"But I want to show him my room and my horse and my…" Adam interrupts soothingly as Jack swallows back a laugh: "Peanut, we'll have time for that later.  
Let's listen to your Mom."

"Awww! Do I have to?"

"Connor," Jack starts to correct as Adam quickly puts in: "Yeah, you do. You know, she's one of the smartest women I know. Only smarter one was my mom-"

"Grandma Hope?" Connor asks innocently, and I catch Adam masking his surprise (yeah, because I wouldn't tell him about the one sane and decent biological grandparent he had!)

"Ah huh. Besides, if I had listened to your mom, I wouldn't have gotten into half the trouble I did."

"Ain't that the truth!" Jack mutters as Adam turns Connor towards the living room. "Heeding that advice?" Adam shots back on a laugh as we move across the foyer.

"I've been known two a time or two- and paid for it when I didn't," Jack admits in good humor, and it's then, that I know it will really be ok.

Somehow, we'll make it work.  
And for this day, we came out on top of Victor Newman.  
He didn't ruin us.  
He didn't destroy my son's family.  
Hell, he might have forged it!  
For now, the Abbotts, for once, rule over the Newmans.

We'll live to fight another day- because, honestly, they won't let us have out peace.  
And we will win.

That's as close to a happily ever after as I'll ever need.  
(That and being able to dance on Victor's grave one day….)

Yeah, deep down we're still the same.  
But, we've learned from our mistakes and don't repeat them ad nauseam.  
And that is why we will rule over them time and time again!


End file.
